Automakers v. the People

Automakers Talk Environment then Sue to Stop Clean Car Choice

In order to protect the health of the planet and its inhabitants, governments and industries around the world are beginning to focus their attention on reducing global warming emissions. And the state of California is leading the way, having recently passed a landmark law to reduce heat-trapping emissions from cars, trucks, and SUVs.

But instead of doing their fair share to curb these harmful gases, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, including self-described environmental leaders such as Ford and Toyota, recently sued the people of California to block this law! Honda, Nissan and the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers have also joined the lawsuit.

The federal Clean Air Act gives other states the opportunity to adopt California's clean air standards. Eight states and Canada are already poised to join California, which together represent more than a quarter of the North American auto market. But automakers appear intent on thwarting this critical clean air initiative by spending huge sums with their lawyers rather implementing existing technology with their engineers.

Please sign this petition today to tell the offending automakers that they can't hide behind their environmental marketing. They must turn away from this irresponsible anti-consumer, anti-public health lawsuit, or suffer the consequences with their customers.
To:  Richard Wagoner Jr., Chairman and CEO, General Motors
  Prof. Jürgen E. Schrempp, President, DaimlerChrysler Corporation
  Rich Gilligan, President and CEO, Mitsubishi Motors North America
  Tom Purves, Chairman and CEO, BMW Group
  Hisakazu Imaki, President and CEO, Mazda
  William C. Ford, Chair, Board of Directors, Ford Motor Company
  Hideaki Otaka, President and CEO, Toyota Motor North America
  Wendelin Wiedeking, President and CEO, Porsche Cars North America, Inc.
  Gerd Klauss, President and CEO, Volkswagen of America
c/o Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

I, like a great many consumers around the nation, have been waiting for real clean car choices. Now, California's breakthrough regulations on global warming emissions will allow your talented engineers to use cost-effective, off-the-shelf technologies to provide cleaner vehicles in all size classes. But instead, you have chosen to unleash your lawyers to thwart consumer choice and ignore the potential profits and jobs from the growing clean car market.

It is time for you to live up to the promise of your environmental marketing campaigns. "Green" slogans and the limited introduction of hybrid vehicles cannot replace a fleet-wide commitment to cleaner vehicles. It is not too late to step away from this public relations disaster and invest these resources in your talented engineers to meet the burgeoning national and international demand for cleaner vehicles in all makes and sizes.

Carbon dioxide from passenger vehicles will increase 50 percent by 2020 if you and other automakers don't clean up our nation's vehicle fleets. It is environmentally and financially irresponsible to postpone action. As I make my next vehicle purchase, I will consider which automakers sued to block my access to cleaner cars. I therefore expect your immediate withdrawal from this anti-consumer lawsuit that damages both the environment and the public's health.

Sincerely,

[Your name]
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